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OPINION – #OccupyHouston: Losing focus?

OPINION PIECE: Like some of the commentors I’ve been reading at various places on the OccupyHouston.org website, I, too, am concerned about a loss of focus of our #OccupyHouston movement.

The diverse support for OCCUPY seems to coalesce around one basic premise: The out-sized influence exercised by large corporations and the rich — the 1% — on our nation’s politics, policies, and destiny.

At the risk of mixing metaphors, diverse support splinters when you start ‘goring’ an increasing number of different ‘oxen’.

Popular support for the OCCUPY movement has crossed virtually all ideological and philosophical lines. In spite of pundits’ criticism that there is no coherent message, there actually is a very clear message of sorts: “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!”

These causes and others may all have points to consider on their own merits in fairness, justice, and emotional resonance. They all have supporters, critics, and fence straddlers.

But, “You must remember this: A KISS is just a KISS.” KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid!

It’s about the banks. It’s about the repeal of Glass-Steagall and our need to re-instate it. It’s about Citizens United, and the need for a Constitutional Amendment which clearly states that corporations are not, and should not be considered to share the rights of, people. It’s about electoral and economic fairness.

It’s about retaking our country, and reclaiming it as the representative democracy it was intended to be, and mostly has been.

All revolutions face this dynamic: Fight your small parochial battles and be marginalized, or unite for the greater cause and leave squabbles for later.

About Thinkwing Radio

Mike Honig is originally from Brooklyn, New York. He moved to Houston in September of 1977 and has been there ever since. Mike's interests are politics, history, science, science fiction (and reading generally), technology, and almost anything else. Mike has knowledge and experience in many diverse fields, sometimes from having worked in them, and sometimes from extensive reading or discussion about them. Mike's general knowledge makes him a favorite partner in Trivial Pursuit. He likes to say that about most things, he knows enough to be dangerous. Humility is a work-in-progress.